Antigen-specific immunotherapy is important for its ability to harness the immune system to specifically target tumors without the toxicity associated with traditional chemoradiation. Cytotoxic CD8+ T lymphocytes (CTLs) can selectively kill tumor cells at multiple sites throughout the body. Furthermore, antigen-specific immunotherapy is unlikely to generate non-specific autoimmunity. However, antigen-specific immunotherapy targeting tumor-associated endogenous antigen faces the major obstacle of immune tolerance.
A need continues to exist for novel modes of immunotherapy which can effectively target specific cancers without stimulating the tolerance mechanisms of the patient's immune system.